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Near perfect melodic death metal

Gingery led Swedish melodic death metal band Dark Tranquility released their eighth studio album in April 2007 and this is their most recent to date. With a grey cover and the cool dt logo on the front, this album is as good as the band have released and fuses a lot of the styles they've tried and tested over the years to produce a very clean and clear sounding record. The death metal growls are still in use but they are combined with the singer's regular vocals which prove a pleasant change - a deep booming sound.

Killer guitar riffs are backed up by pleasant keyboard playing, the guitars aggression is gently softened by the relaxing almost classical piano sound of the piano on a lot of the tracks. Whilst some melodic metal bands go for a sound like someone is walking through the park only to be bludgeoned to death, Dark Tranquility tend to start off the other way with a lot of the aggression coming early on and the songs tending to calm down towards the end or nicely interspersed. Nothing to No One is an undoubted hit and Misery's Crown isn't far behind.

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Dark Tranquillity's eighth album (2007).

The most recent release from Dark Tranquillity follows directly on from the previous two albums, in its repetition of the same melodic death metal style with very little to distinguish it from the crowd. One of its advantages is a comparatively high budget due to the band's high profile, more evident here than ever as the drums sound more distinct and powerful than before, while the keyboards are relegated satisfyingly to the background in most songs.

This album's main failing is its sheer repetitiveness, as every song descends into an ambient, atmospheric section at some point in its second half, a gimmick that starts to get tiresome quite early on. As much as I criticise the band's unimaginative style these days, the worst songs are those that do attempt something new, or at least something eight years old from the days of 'Projector.' 'Misery's Crown' sounds more like something a gothic band like HIM would do, with added growls, and it's only the female vocals and piano of the finale 'The Mundane and the Magic' that hint towards a return of experimental touches in the band's future.

1. Nothing to No One2. The Lesser Faith3. Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive)4. Blind at Heart5. Icipher6. Inside the Particle Storm7. Empty Me8. Misery's Crown9. Focus Shift10. The Mundane and the Magic